Recipe: Canal House Cooking’s Pimentón Fried Eggs

The deep blue and silver cover of this latest issue in the Canal House Cooking series is an elegant hint at the the celebratory champagne-popping and truffle-stuffed recipes within. This is Canal House Cooking’s Fall & Holiday issue and it’s chock-full of recession-flouting recipes that glimmer and sparkle and call us to the table to eat well, make merry, and welcome in the good life with those we love.

That’s not to say that this volume doesn’t have something to offer the soup-bone-and-wilted-carrot kitchen, too. The recipe featured below couldn’t be more basic and thrifty, for example. And there are recipes for things like Apple Fritters, Cauliflower Souffle, homemade sausages, and savory cabbage salad.

But I also like the way this book encourages a lavish, celebratory approach to the coming holidays. As the days darken and grow short, I appreciate its shimmer and optimism. I may not be able to put a truffled chicken on the table everyday of the week but I might consider it for a special dinner, especially if accompanied with pretty, sparkling chicken-shaped sugar cookies for dessert.

I’ve been receiving the Canal House Cooking books for just about a year now and I continue to be excited and impressed with what they offer. I think they make excellent gifts and I plan on ordering a few subscriptions to give away this holiday.

• What’s Exciting: A whole chapter devoted to making gnocchi and another one for homemade sausage links; how to understand grower champagne; Gabrielle Hamilton’s (of Prune) grilled cheese sandwiches that are fried up with Hellman’s mayonnaise.

• Find the book:Canal House Cooking is released three time a year and can be purchased as a subscription ($49.95/year) or in individual volumes ($19.95 each.)

I love this recipe for its simplicity (only four ingredients and one of them is salt!) I can imagine making this for a simple supper, accompanied by some sautéed chard or kale and crusty bread.

Pimentón Fried EggsWe love the rich, savory flavor of eggs fried in bubbling hot olive oil and the way the oil makes the whites puffy around the yolks and crisp around the edges. Pimentón, the exquisite Spanish paprika, adds a delicious smoky flavor and stains the oil a gorgeous deep brick orange, so beautiful to baste over the eggs. Serve these for breakfast, with a good crusty bread to sop up the flavorful oil, or with stewy chickpeas any time of the day.

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until quite warm. Add 1/2 teaspoon pimentón and tip the skillet to swirl it around so it disolves into the oil. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and reduce the heat if it gets a little too hot. Fry the eggs, basting them with the olive oil, until the whites are firm and the yolks remain soft. Season with salt. Serve the eggs with the oil spooned on top. –-makes 4